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Using a storage unit isn’t just a matter of moving your stuff from one space to another. It’s also about maximizing storage space, packing for storage conditions, and organizing your stuff for accessibility. Check out our blog for tips and tricks of the trade to help you along the way.

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Mosquito bites shouldn’t ruin the summer for you. Open the windows and curtains and enjoy the weather from the inside of your home. Keep the mosquitoes away from your apartment this summer with these tips. Screens Most modern windows come with screens. But some don’t. You can purchase a low-cost screen to fit any window […]

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With the changing seasons come changes in life. Transportation is one of the most obvious. Winter is coming. And that means no more bike rides along the park. And, for the most part, no more biking around town. It's time to put your bike in storage. Here are some tips to make it simple. Clean and Maintenance Now that you're off the dusty trail for a while, take some time to wipe down and clean your bike, especially your tires. Lubricate the chain to prevent rusting. And lubricate the tires to prevent cracking from changes in temperature. Removing dirt from the frame helps keep it rust and scratch free, and it'll prevent discoloration in the paint. Another part of bike maintenance is airing up the tires to recommended levels. Proper air inflation not only prevents cracking in the tires, but it also helps maintain the structural integrity. Hang, Box, or Stand If you will have your bike in storage for a long time, longer than a season, you might want to invest in a bike box. They save space and protect your bike from scratches and dents during storage. However, you can just hang your bike on a wall either in your house or in a garage. Especially if you'll take it back out one the first of spring. Likewise, if you invest in a storage unit, you could get a temperature-control unit and just roll it in to storage. This is a good idea, especially if you have other things you'd like in storage.

We all know this experience. You go to the car wash. You pay for a nice shine. You vacuum the seats and floors. And after a month, not only has the shine faded, but it looks like a dump on the inside. Follow these tips to maintain a clean interior throughout the winter. Trash Cans This idea might seem unappealing at first. Who wants a trash container to take up legroom in the car? And won't it smell? But, especially if you don't want to clean out your car every time you drive it, a secondary benefit of a trash can is to get you in the habit of cleaning out your car. Even if it means just taking out the trash once a month. But obviously the primary benefit of having a trash can in your car is it eliminates the garbage. And it won't take up too much space. Buy a small 3 or 5 gallon trash can with a lid. Once you get in the habit of taking the trash out of the car, you can get rid of the trash can. Organizers Invest in a good car organizer. Then purchase some car wipes to keep the interior shiny and clean. Also stock up on some baby wipes for any messy passengers. Place these cleaners and any objects or tools in the organizer. With the trashcan and organizer, what else can be in your car? Once you get organized, cleaning will be the easiest part of owning a car. Even if you have a family, an organizing box will hold toys, crayons, books, and anything else you'll need. Now that the floor is clean and the dashboard wiped, the interior of your car will stay as clean as it came out of the factory.

You may be leaving the Midwest for winter. Or maybe you just have a vintage Corvette you don't want to sit in the snow. Whatever your reason, follow these tips to prepare your car for storage. Maintenance First thing's first: you might as well maintenance your car before you put it in storage. Then it'll be ready to go when you need to move it, especially if you want to do so unexpectedly. And besides, you don't want just plain gas sitting in the tank. You'll need to add stabilizer to prevent corrosion of gas lines. Outdoor or Indoor Next, determine what kind of storage you'll need. Outdoor storage makes your car susceptible to weather conditions. It could get damaged from ice storms or hail, and it could rust from wet conditions. But it's usually much cheaper to rent outdoor storage than indoor storage. Indoor storage adds a level of security outdoor storage can't. Not only does it protect the car from weather, but it also protects against animals and rodents. You can go a step further by adding temperature control. Whichever you choose, measure the length and width of your car so you'll know how much space you'll need. And, no matter if you choose indoor or outdoor, Infinite Self Storage provides an added layer of security with cameras and coded gates at most facilities. Learn the Rules Most storage facilities require your car to be in running condition with insurance and registration. All this ensures the car isn't junked or stolen. And don't be surprised if you can't work on your car while it's in storage. Most self storage facilities will want you to use their units just for storage. Besides, they won't want oil spots on their floors for their next customers. If you have any questions …

Some storage units have as much storage space as a three-bedroom home. Some are even larger! One consequence is more stuff can get lost or forgotten about. Don't leave your things in the dark. Start a self-storage inventory today. Categorize The easiest way to begin organizing your storage is to begin at the beginning. When you drop off an item, write it down. Some of us like the motto, “Why do today what can be done tomorrow?” But procrastinating certainly won't help you organize your storage. And it won't put you in a good position to plan and be ready for unexpected events. Categorize different items you put in storage. Then create a map of your unit's layout. If you need something in a bind, you'll at least know the general area in which to look. To go further, if you're using boxes, number them, and take note of the contents of each box. Don't be looking for that replica quill James Madison used to sign the constitution at one in the morning. Especially if you collect replica feathers. And you have thirty boxes of them. Receipts and Photos As you're logging, naming, and categorizing the things you put in storage, review your insurance or protection plans. Take pictures, compile receipts, and store all the information you'll need in one place. If ever you need to make an insurance claim, having everything in one place will significantly expedite the process. Google Sheets An easy way to create, update, and manage your inventory is by creating a Google Sheet in Google Drive. This simple tool will give access to your inventory across all your devices. And it works much like a Microsoft Excel document. Creating an inventory of your storage is a good way to stay organized and expedite claims. It …

Everyone wants to get the most back from their deposit. That's what making the most of Move-out Day means. It means cleaning those areas you usually wouldn't and doing maintenance on spots you'd usually let go. The following will help you get the most back from your deposit. Carpet This is a huge part of preparing your apartment for move-out. If you've ever lived on a laminate or hardwood floor, you know how much dirt you can track around your house. But when you have carpets, sometimes the dirt is hidden, especially if the carpet is thick. If you haven't used a carpet cleaner on your carpet yet, now is the time. You might be surprised how much dirt your carpet hides. Damage Light switch covers, doors knobs, drawer handles, door stops, blinds: all are commonly used or commonly damaged items in your apartment. If you wouldn't like the state any of these are in when you move into your new apartment, then it's probably a good idea for you to replace or fix them. Small holes If you don't use adhesive strips to hang your pictures and posters, chances are your apartment is riddled with small nail holes. But this is an easy fix. Simply purchase a putty knife and spackle or wall joint compound. Spread the spackle or wall joint compound over the hole(s). When it dries, sand it to match the depth of the wall. Repeat if necessary.

Sometimes breaking down in the summer and spring months isn't too much of a hassle: especially if the weather is nice. But breaking down in sub-zero temperatures is another story. Prepare your car this winter by following these tips. Check Your Battery According to TheAA, the most common cause of breakdown is battery related. And battery related issues are exacerbated in winter months. Because of the cold weather, batteries have lower outputs levels, accept charges at lesser levels, and carry increased loads (lights, heat, wipers, etc.). To avoid issues in the winter months, TheAA recommends replacing your battery if it is five years or older, especially if your car has trouble starting up. An easy preventative maintenance step you can take to decrease the load on your battery at startup is to turn everything electrical off for the first few seconds when you start your car. Avoid a breakdown this winter by taking care of your battery. Wipers Do you remember the last time you bought windshield wipers? If not, it's probably time to get a new set. You can find wipers made specifically for the winter at your local auto store. These wear down less from ice accumulation and remove ice from your windshield easier than non-winter wipers. Tires Lose 1 Pound of Pressure per Every 10 Degree Drop Well, according to TireRack.com, the actual equation is 2% per every 10-degree Fahrenheit drop. But for the average car tire requiring 30-50 psi for adequate inflation, the difference between the summer and winter temperature could lose you at least 5 psi in tire inflation. That difference could end up making your car slide on the snow. Be sure to check your psi periodically in the winter months to ensure your tires are up to the car manual's specifications. Car Wash …

Americans love sports. From the NFL to the WNBA, the business of sports memorabilia is booming. But we're not just spectators. We love to play sports too. And, according to science, we have good reason. Health benefits from playing sports in childhood last well into adulthood. So many homes and apartments are populated by old and new basketballs, scuffed up baseballs, deflategate footballs, tarred bats, and other sporting equipment. Here are some tips for storing your sports equipment. Evaluate Equipment The very first thing you should do is take notice of all the sporting equipment you own. How much time has gone by since your last batting practice? Do you see one in the foreseeable future? If not, maybe the bat you taped together should sit in storage anymore. Toss what you won't use again, and toss what is useless. Deflategate It's time to cause your own Deflategate. Deflate everything that has air in it. Then put it all in a box. Also, if you don't have one, it's a good time to purchase a pump. Store it with your deflateables. Equipment Storage by Type Tennis racquets require a different type of storage than basketballs. Be sure when you bring your sporting equipment to storage that you have the correct insulators and the correct unit type to store everything. Conclusion Sports is a big part of life. When you store your sporting equipment, school yourself on the details of storing it all.

Going green isn't only about recycling. It's also about reusing the things you already own for other purposes. This has been named repurposing. When it comes to moving some things to storage, repurposing some of your older items is a good way to go green. For instance, if you use crates to move some of your larger objects, you can repurpose them, after storage, as tables or chairs. The wood in the pallet is still good to use, even if you don't need to use the pallet anymore. If nothing else, create some birdhouses with it. It's a good project for the family, if nothing else. And it ensures the wood doesn't just rot in a landfill. Many people, by default, acquire cardboard boxes to store everything. From books to picture frames, some people can use dozens of boxes. Try using furniture for storage that you already own. Picture frames and books can fit inside dressers. And you can lay out clothes on couches. Or set up a moveable closet to hang pictures. There are a lot of ways to avoid using boxes to store your things. When you do buy anything for storage, make sure, at the very least, it's recyclable. That way, when you don't need storage anymore, and you don't have use for the containers, you can put them back to use by recycling.

Ever notice how densely populated areas have tall buildings? It's because when you run out of horizontal space, you have to think vertically. If you ever lived in a dorm room at college, you'll understand this principle. Most dorm room roommates position their beds over their desks and dressers. It's efficient, and it opens the rest of the room for other things (like a table tennis table). This means lack of closet and storage space doesn't have to be the last word on your storage capabilities. Here are some hacks for making the most of your apartment space. Use the Walls Get some command strips. Hang everything. From your hats and hair ties to your shoes (the trick is to tie them together) and backpacks. You can probably think of more things to hang. You can also buy bags just for the purpose of placing things in them to hang on your wall. Bed Lifts If your bed doesn't sit high off the ground, take a tip from dorm rooms: raise it. You'll be able to fit a lot more things under there than you might expect: dressers, book shelves, desks. The possibilities are endless. You could even purchase a portable clothes rack and hang your clothes underneath. Bookshelf Storage This one is kind of obvious if you keep your bookshelf vertical. But try placing it on its side. Then you can purchase linen baskets and place anything inside of it (like charging cables, papers, extra blankets, and sheets, etc.) without making your room look cluttered. Using linen baskets to create storage blocks in your bookshelf gives you the advantage of storage space without the messy appearance. Don't Hang Clothes You read that right. Instead, go the military way and roll your clothes in their drawers. If rolled correctly, they …

Moving can be tedious. It can also be fun: when someone else does all the work. If you're considering hiring movers, it is important to stay informed on their moving policies and practices. Are they liable if your box of fragile glassware arrives in pieces? It's also important to know about the business itself. ApartmentHomeLiving.Com provides helpful questions that ensure you or your stuff won't be left in the dark. Staying informed can be a chore. An estimate from a professional moving business requires, at times, complicated variables. What must be considered, and what you should ask about, is how long it will take to move your possessions and how they will be handled. Ask about previous experience, and what sort of challenges come with each move. Before you pack up your stuff, you may want to visualize how you will arrange your things before you arrive. Don't set unrealistic expectations for your movers. If your new home is a thousand miles away, don't expect a rush, next-day delivery. And if you do get that rush delivery, you may have moved too fast. Photo credit: Thad Zajdowicz via Foter.com / CC BY